Fun on Three Wheels

Friday, I went to Toledo to pick up the TerraTrike that was for sale recently. It turned out to be
well worth the 500-mile round trip! Saturday, I took it out for a metric century shakedown run. The
trike performed quite well - based on my average speed, which included quite a bit of riding at a
slower "social" pace with a couple of local 'benters, I'm no slower on it than I am on my Rocket,
and maybe a hair or two faster due the low seating position.

Indeed, at one point, while cruising down the trail, a roadie on a LeMond Zurich blew past. I
couldn't resist, so I kicked it into overdrive and put the hammer down. The lowracer-height seat
*really* helped out, as we were heading into a stiff east wind. I wound up blasting past him... when
I got to the next road crossing, I stopped to wait for my buddies, and the guy on the LeMond came up
and stopped for a chat. He was *very* interested in the trike - who knows, maybe we'll have another
triker in our midst!

Now I know first hand about "trike grin!" It seems to be contagious - one of my group stopped at the
LBS and put down a deposit on a Catrike Speed, and there are a lot of other trike owners among the
Chicago south 'bent contingent.

Hmmm... a trike paceline would be interesting!
--
Russ Price * [email protected] * kill the wabbit to email 2001 RANS Rocket, WizWheelz
TerraTrike 3.0+

"Bus error - passengers dumped"

 

Yeah Cannot get any better than laying back in a Chaise lounge on 3 wheels and getting to read the
serial numbers on car hubcaps at your side. Maybe this summer I'll trade in my Giro Helmet for a
Panama straw hat and ride with a Pina Colada in one hand and play "Jimmy Buffet" on a radio with the
speakers facing outward on my left and ride side....as I zip passed a roadie LOL
---------------------------------
"Russ Price" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Friday, I went to Toledo to pick up the TerraTrike that was for sale recently. It turned out to be
> well worth the 500-mile round trip! Saturday, I took it out for a metric century shakedown run.
> The trike performed quite well - based on my average speed, which included quite a bit of riding
> at a slower "social" pace with a couple of local 'benters, I'm no slower on it than I am on my
> Rocket, and maybe a hair or two faster due the low seating position.
>
> Indeed, at one point, while cruising down the trail, a roadie on a LeMond Zurich blew past. I
> couldn't resist, so I kicked it into overdrive and put the hammer down. The lowracer-height seat
> *really* helped out, as we were heading into a stiff east wind. I wound up blasting past him...
> when I got to the next road crossing, I stopped to wait for my buddies, and the guy on the LeMond
> came up and stopped for a chat. He was *very* interested in the trike - who knows, maybe we'll
> have another triker in our midst!
>
> Now I know first hand about "trike grin!" It seems to be contagious - one of my group stopped at
> the LBS and put down a deposit on a Catrike Speed, and there are a lot of other trike owners among
> the Chicago south 'bent contingent.
>
> Hmmm... a trike paceline would be interesting!
> --
> Russ Price * [email protected] * kill the wabbit to email 2001 RANS Rocket, WizWheelz
> TerraTrike 3.0+
>
> "Bus error - passengers dumped"

 

Russ Price wrote:
>
> Friday, I went to Toledo to pick up the TerraTrike that was for sale recently. It turned out to be
> well worth the 500-mile round trip! Saturday, I took it out for a metric century shakedown run.
> The trike performed quite well - based on my average speed, which included quite a bit of riding
> at a slower "social" pace with a couple of local 'benters, I'm no slower on it than I am on my
> Rocket, and maybe a hair or two faster due the low seating position....

Russ,

A 500 mile round trip to pick up a trike is pretty wimpy - I drove over 800 miles when I went to
Ohio to pick up my trike.

You should have been on the Sudden Century today. The route was basically Minooka-Morris-Seneca
(with optional loops for the longer distances from Seneca)-Morris-Minooka. The unusual ESE wind made
the return route difficult for everyone riding an unnecessarily high distance from the ground, i.e.
everyone but myself. I passed a lot of better conditioned upright riders on the final leg, and no
one passed
me.

The obvious conclusion is that the only HPV designs that make sense in a flat windy area are
lowracers and low trikes.

Tom Sherman - Various HPV's Quad Cities USA (Illinois side)

 

You're preaching to the converted. After falling three times last year on my Toureasy, I decided to
go Trike. I have a Penninger Voyager, and a Wicks Trimuter. I just finished the NY five borough bike
tour on the Penninger.

Let me tell you, I felt guilty as I watched the pain develop on the diamond frame rider's faces as
they approached the last ten miles. I just casually rode along, pain free and fall free. My only
issue is the hills. While the DF riders were wobbling or walking their bikes to the top, I was down
to about 4mph, but I rode up! Moving 52lbs of Penninger, is not an easy task on a hill, but it was
fun going 28 mph down on the other side. Long live the trikes!

 

"Jonathan Kaplan" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> You're preaching to the converted. After falling three times last year on my Toureasy, I decided
> to go Trike. I have a Penninger Voyager, and a Wicks Trimuter. I just finished the NY five borough
> bike tour on the Penninger.
>
> Let me tell you, I felt guilty as I watched the pain develop on the diamond frame rider's faces as
> they approached the last ten miles. I just casually rode along, pain free and fall free. My only
> issue is the hills. While the DF riders were wobbling or walking their bikes to the top, I was
> down to about 4mph, but I rode up! Moving 52lbs of Penninger, is not an easy task on a hill, but
> it was fun going 28 mph down on the other side. Long live the trikes!

I also converted - from a delta trike to a tadpole trike. (but I must admit a few falls due to my
"over-doing" obvious driving limits! )

Going 4 mph on hills was my problem too, so I stuck a motor on. Solved that problem very well; but
created more by allowing me more acceleration, speed where I should slow down (turns especially) and
being totally banned as a traitor or cheater when I wipe out the competition with battery power.

Chris Jordan Santa Cruz, CA.